Ernie Els Built a Business Empire With a Wine Estate, Design Firm and Restaurants
- South African golf legend Ernie Els constructed a wide-ranging business portfolio through The Ernie Els Group after establishing himself among the sport's elite
- Els partnered with winemaker Louis Strydom to launch Ernie Els Wines in 1999, with an estate in Stellenbosch that has since expanded to include a restaurant and tasting room
- Beyond wine and course design, Els channelled his success into autism advocacy after his son Ben was diagnosed in 2008, establishing a 26-acre centre in Florida
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Ernie Els, one of South Africa's most decorated golfers, has built a substantial commercial portfolio in the decades since he first broke onto the world stage, with interests spanning golf course architecture, wine production, branded dining and corporate investment.
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Els, who grew up in Lambton, Germiston, on the East Rand, showed early promise across multiple sports before his father, Neels, guided him toward golf at the local Germiston Golf Course. By the age of 14, he had reached a scratch handicap, and in 1984 he won the Junior World Golf Championship, defeating a young Phil Mickelson.
After turning professional in 1989, Els went on to claim four Major Championships, including back-to-back US Open titles in 1994 and 1997, the latter making him the first foreign player since 1910 to win the tournament twice. He also secured two Open Championship titles and a record seven World Matchplay crowns.
The Ernie Els Group
His commercial operation, The Ernie Els Group, is built around two primary businesses. Ernie Els Design is a full-service golf course architectural firm with flagship projects at Albany in the Bahamas, The Els Club in Dubai, Zimbali Lakes, and the Wentworth Club's West Course. The firm has since expanded into practice facility construction in Vietnam and Malaysia.
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The second major arm is Ernie Els Wines, launched in 1999 on the Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch through a partnership with winemaker Louis Strydom. The estate focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux-style blends and has undergone significant modernisation, including a new tasting room, restaurant, and a trophy room housing Els' major silverware.
The wine venture gave rise to Big Easy Concepts, a branded dining and bar operation with casual restaurants in Durban, Stellenbosch, Miami, and Dubai. Els has also invested in companies operating in pet care, sports technology, recruitment, and apparel brands including Srixon and Cleveland Golf.
Source: Instagram
Els for Autism Foundation
In 2008, the Els family disclosed that their son Ben had been diagnosed with autism, which led directly to the founding of the Els for Autism Foundation. The foundation's flagship project is the Els Centre of Excellence, a 26-acre campus in Florida purpose-built for autism care, education and research.
The centre includes educational facilities, clinical therapy suites, an adult services pavilion, and a three-hole par-3 golf facility adapted for therapeutic use. It offers occupational therapy for children from as young as 12 months and extends support beyond the age of 21 through independent living training and social enterprise programmes, addressing a gap common in many autism services.
Els has not officially retired from professional golf, continuing to compete on the PGA Tour Champions and in select international events after stepping away from the main PGA Tour following his 50th birthday.
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Source: Briefly News
